Hit The Lights, We'll Be Alright
by xTonightOurDreamsComeTruex
Summary: An exciting, dramatic fanfiction about the one and only All Time Low. Will include many plot turns...review please :
1. Meeting The Boy

I frowned as I walked into the rain. My iPod was playing Hey Monday, and right now, I could sympathize with their song "Candles". My boyfriend of 9 months, Justin, had just broken up with me today and I had only just stopped crying. I decided I needed some quality time alone, and what better place to go than Center City? But then it had started raining, and I had to leave my favorite place in the world. It was back to Chestnut Hill, and back to my lonely house with my father.

My father was always very awkward around me, as he and I had never had the bond that my mother and I had had before she died in the the travesty of 9/11. Our house had never felt quite as full without her presence. It had been 9 years, but still, I missed her every day with all my heart. I was only 7 at the time, myself. My older brother, Harvey, was always my best friend, over everyone else, even Sophie Jacobson, my best girl friend.

My name is Hannah Wright. I lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and I attended Northside, a private school that was very close to my house. I was in 12th grade, was 18 years old, and I played guitar and sang and was in a small pop punk band called Secret Valentine Affair. Next school year I would be off to Kenyon College.

I was so intent on the music that I walked into a complete stranger. I fell down.

"Whoa!" He said. I looked at him. He was average height, but he was very cute and he was dressed very pop punky, my kind of guy. He laughed and grinned at me.

"My bad, my bad. Here, let me help you up." He grabbed my arm and helped me up.

"Ah! I'm so sorry! I never saw you, I was just listening to music." I frowned.

"Really? What are you listening to?" He seemed genuinely interested, which really surprised me.

"Oh, well right now it's "A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More _Touch Me_" by Fall Out Boy," I said, taken aback.

He grinned even wider. "No shit?" He reached in his pocket, took out his iPod, and scrolled through the songs for a second. He held up his iPod to me and showed me the exact same song.

"My name is Alex...I didn't quite get yours?" He asked me politely.

"Oh, I'm Hannah! Nice to meet you, Alex!" He was a very nice guy, and he looked around my own age. I shook my head. It was too soon to be lusting after guys, right after the travesty with Justin.

"Look, Hannah, my friends and I will be in Philadelphia until the beginning of summer...do you want to hang out sometime?" Alex asked me, unexpectedly.

I gaped. "Sure, that sounds awesome! I'm free tonight actually...how does that sound?"

"Sounds great! Meet me at the Starbucks on Germantown Avenue at 6, kapeesh?"

"I'll be there," I smiled. He patted me on the arm and walked down the street. I felt my gaze follow him until he walked out of sight. _Oh, Hannah...you're getting into one HELL of a situation..._I couldn't help thinking to myself.

Still, I couldn't help but get an extra spring in my step when I thought about the meeting with Alex. I hurried home happily and then proceeded to primp for the next 3 hours, going for the casual stage look. At 5:55, I hopped into my old car and drove to the the Starbucks.

Alex was sitting inside, scribbling inside a leather notebook. He was sipping at a cappucino and sitting at a table. I walked in, smiling, and sat down opposite him. He looked up and closed his notebook.

"Hey, Hannah! Glad you could come!" He seemed enthusiastic enough, and my heart gave a reluctant pound.

"Yeah! I was actually wondering if we could get to know each other better," I said without stuttering, thank the Lord.

"Sure," he gave a confident smile. "My full name is Alexander William Gaskarth. I am 19 years old and I live in Baltimore, Maryland. I play guitar and sing in a band called All Time Low and we're here in Philadelphia prepping with our record label for Warped Tour this summer...and you?" I was speechless. He was on Warped Tour!

"Well, compared to that introduction, I'm outright boring," I joked.

"Ah come on, such a pretty face can't have that boring of a life." He encouraged me. My heart fluttered at the compliment. _Was he flirting with me?_

"Fine...I'm Hannah Wright, I happen to be 18, and there's a similarity...I play guitar and sing in a tiny tiny band called Secret Valentine Affair, but that's about as far as they go...we're not on Warped this year." I smiled.

"See, that's not boring! What kind of music do you play?" He asked me.

"Mostly pop punk. Two of our biggest influences are My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy." I eyed his notebook. "What are you writing?"

He laughed nervously. "Oh, just lyrics..."

I stole it out of his hand. I began reading. I opened to a random page and "We Say Summer" was written in large letters at the top of the page and underlined. Words written in messy handwriting underneath caught my eye. 'I have seen millions of faces, ever unchanging, content with redundancy, I'm not the same way...searching for change in directions that I **want to go**!'

"Whoa, Alex! These are really good!" He bit his lip and coughed.

"Well that was a song on our first album, _The Party Scene_...ever since we signed to Hopeless Records, they've been kind of telling us not to emphasize on these old songs. They want us to write new ones, more poppy ones, but truth be told, I prefer these. They have more character than pop tunes." He frowned. "Don't get me wrong, Hopeless is great, but I like these songs better."

He handed me his iPod. "Here, listen to that song. It's one of my favorites off the album."

I listened. It was beautiful. I knew then that I wanted to explore All Time Low, and that their music would be my next big inspiration.

We spent the next hour or so just talking about music and enjoying each other's company. A little while after that, we walked down the street to the playground and climbed over everything, laughing and screaming and just having childish fun. Alex was a delight to be around. He was so much better than Justin, and Alex and I were just friends...though I secretly wanted something more.

We had begun to slow down, and I collapsed on the grass, laughing. Alex fell next to me. The laughter died after a minute or so, and I stared into his eyes. He stared back. His eyes were wondering, pondering, gazing. A few seconds later, I felt something around my shoulders. It was his arm, and I didn't push it away. Instead, I leaned into his side.

I was completely taken by surprise when he leaned his head down and gently kissed me. I mean, I kissed back, of course, but I was very shocked. I didn't know he felt this way too. I enjoyed that kiss. It seemed so perfect then. When it was over, we snuggled in the grass for a while.

"Hannah...do you have school tomorrow?" The question was so abrupt.

"Um, I think so...it's a Monday, after all..." I said uncertainly.

"Goddammit. I'm just going to be hanging around with my band. I won't be able to get you out of my head. Fuck." He gave me a sad little smile, and stroked my hair.

I pouted. "Come drive by Northside at 3. I'll be out of school by then," I smiled.

"Sounds like a plan! Wait...did you do all your homework this weekend?" He grinned. "I wouldn't want you getting in school trouble 'cause of me."

I laughed. "No, no, I did it all yesterday!"

He stood up suddenly and held out his hand. "You can't get to bed _too _late, girl," He flashed that cute smile.

I took his hand and he pulled me up. "Oh, don't worry, I have to practice my songs so that's not an option."

We talked about our bands for a while until it was dark. We slowly walked to my car. When we got there, I snuck one last glance at Alex. A wistful smile was painted on his face. He pulled me into a hug before I got in the car.

"I'll be at Northside tomorrow," he whispered in my ear and kissed my forehead. He let me go and I got in the car. I looked at him in the rearview as I drove off until he was out of sight.

I shivered. Something about that boy drove me absolutely crazy.


	2. Justin

(**AUTHOR'S NOTE** I made a few year mistakes in the last entry...the year in this story is 2007, which is the year All Time Low went on Warped. So Hannah was actually 12 when her mother died and it had been 6 years, not 9.)

I couldn't sit still all day at Northside. Alex and his wonderful kiss kept running through my head. I was yelled at in 5 different classes, and as the final bell rang, I was never more grateful to pack up my things and go. It was a rainy day outside, and as I ran into the school's large parking lot, I saw one solitary figure leaning on a car. I ran as fast as I could to Alex and leaped in his arms.

"Alex! You actually came!" I cried in delight. The rain was soaking through my clothes, and I was surprised that Alex felt so warm through his drenched clothes.

"Of course...I told you I would, didn't I?" He murmured softly. He kissed the top of my head. I smiled and hugged him tighter.

I could hear shrieks coming from across the lot as my friends saw me and my mystery boyfriend who I had been talking about all through homeroom and the rest of the day. They ran over. I looked quickly. It was Sophie, Georgia White, and Ivy Callahan. They were squealing as they took in Alex's full presence.

"I'm sorry, ladies, but I'm kind of preoccupied right now, so please save your ogling for a more convenient time." Alex smiled over my head at my friends.

They laughed and let me and Alex be. It was just us alone, cuddling against a car as everyone else drove off, with the occasional kiss as we talked and laughed about our days. However, our perfect moment was ruined as a harsh, raspy laugh pierced the air between us.

"Isn't this such a fucking perfect little couple?" I looked angrily over to see Justin Aevale standing about five feet away with his arms crossed. His face was smug and he smelled disgustingly of marijuana and alcohol. His sandy hair was tousled and disheveled and his clothes were a mess.

"What the hell do you want, Justin?" I became angry as he continued to stare at me.

"Oh, nothing, just looking for the asshole who stole my girl. By the way, Hannah, everyone thinks you're white trash now 'cause you moved on so quickly. Guess I didn't mean anything to you. It's a shame, I wanted you to cry over me like every other girl has. But after five minutes of that you decided to go and just fucking hook up with the next loser to ever have the misfortune to meet you." Justin's words were like dry ice as I was shaken to the core.

"Okay, look, Justin. _You_ broke up with _me_, and quite frankly, you're DRUNK. So shut the hell up. And yeah, I did cry over you. But Alex here was kind enough to comfort me and make me feel special, like you NEVER did. So don't go talking to me about that." I retorted sharply.

He faked being stabbed in the heart. "Oh, and that hurts _so _much. Anyway, point is, I decided I want you back. I want my girl back. You're _mine_, not fucking his." He shouted.

Alex started getting up. "Hey, um, please calm down. I think you're drunk and that's not good...so please take a step back and I'll drive you home." He was such a sweetie. Alex was genuinely worried about the safety of my jerk ex...because he knew he once meant something to _me_.

"NO! I won't be told to calm down by a fucking GIRL-STEALER! She's fucking MINE! Back the FUCK off!" Justin yelled. He pulled something black out of his pants pocket. My insides melted as I realized what it was.

"ALEX! GET AWAY!" I screamed, sobbing, and desperately ran over to Alex, getting in front of him and facing Justin as the tears ran down my face.

It was pointed at me and I heard something. Alex and I fell backwards simultaneously as my mind refused to register what had just happened and I blacked out.


	3. Still Around

I slowly opened my eyes. I was in an unfamiliar environment. The walls were stark white and there was machinery everywhere. The air had a slight chemical smell, and there was a low murmur of machinery working and people whispering. I was lying in a hard bed, with sheets over me. A part of my left arm was bandaged heavily with gauze.

I looked across to my left and saw Alex laying in a similar bed, and gauze on his left arm in almost the same exact place. He was asleep. He looked so innocent laying on that bed with his hair in his face...it made me hate Justin all the more for what he had done.

"Look who finally decided to wake up!" A voice to my right startled me. I turned my head to see a middle-aged, kindly looking man, who was smiling at me. He was wearing a lab coat and holding a clip board, so I presumed he was a doctor.

"You've been doing very well...you two were extremely lucky that Mr. Aevale was in fact intoxicated at the time and could not hold the gun steady. The bullet went right through both of your left arms, and you were also very lucky that it did not hit any major bones, arteries, or veins. In fact, we could have you out of here in two weeks. The only condition is that you'll have to wear a cast for two weeks after that." He informed me patiently.

I sat there in shock as it fully sunk in. Justin Aevale had shot both Alex and I in our left arms in a drunken haze. I had known he didn't really want me back. He just wanted someone to treat like dirt and fulfill his horny desires (I had never let him have sex with me, though. I was waiting for when I was out of high school for that.) I felt anger slowly collect inside of me. How dare he ruin my life like that!

"Thanks, Doctor..." I looked at his name tag. "Doctor Goldstein," I rasped. My throat was sore from lack of use.

He smiled and left the room. Alex's eyes fluttered open when he heard the door shut. He sighed and looked to his right, at me. He smiled weakly at me and raised his right hand to wave.

"Don't overexert yourself," I laughed. His eyes brightened and he choked out a laugh. I frowned. It seemed the bullet had taken more of a toll on him than me. I could've killed Justin then for what he had done. Alex's eyes drifted over my face, and, seeming contented, he closed them and went back to sleep.

I sunk back into my pillow. My life seemed to have turned upside down. First with meeting Alex, then the whole Justin fiasco...I was ready to just go back to sleep. I turned onto my right side, being very careful with my left arm.

I was troubled by dreams where it was Justin being held up at gunpoint by Alex and I was sneering from behind Alex, where Alex had died, and where Justin had sexually harassed me. The sound of light piano and singing woke me up.

I turned my head to see Alex sitting uncomfortably at a small piano in the corner of the room. A ray of sun was shining on his back and I could see dark scars through the back of his hospital gown. He was playing the piano and singing.

"Go ahead and burn it down...I'm drunk and so's everyone else in this devil town. They won't let me turn around to get one last look at my baby while she's still around...while she's still around." His fingers stopped playing that song and immediately picked up a new tune. It was much more poppy, but it still had an element of immense sadness. "Sing me to sleep...I'll see you in my dreams...waiting to say, 'I miss you, I'm so sorry.'" He stopped playing after that as well and his shoulders slumped. Then, suddenly, they tensed and he let out a single sob. He carefully laid his fingers down in an ending chord and got up from the piano.

His face looked twenty years older with the hurt and sadness etched into it. He came and sat on my bed and pushed the hair off of my face. He gingerly kissed my forehead and stroked my hair. I felt something wet fall on my face. I looked directly into his eyes above my face. Alex was shaking with silent tears and was looking at me with such fierce dedication in his face. I pulled his lips down to mine and kissed him tenderly. He pulled away a few seconds after, gazing into my eyes with tears running down his nose. He squeezed my right hand and hobbled back to his bed where he laid down and dozed off, his tears slowly drying up.

I couldn't lose this boy.


	4. Hustlers

I laughed as the door closed and I felt a cool breeze on my face. March was coming in with a bang, and I had just left the hospital, Alex's arm tight around my waist. I had lucked out and hadn't needed a cast but Alex's injury was slightly worse than mine and he needed to wear one for a week. I kissed his cheek quickly. He laughed and held me closer to him. We were walking down the street and talking enthusiastically about all the things we were going to do now that we were free.

"Hey! You've never met the guys!" Alex proclaimed, astounded. A grin slowly spread on his face. "You have to meet my band. They're off the fucking wall."

I giggled. "I'd love to meet them! What are their names?"

"Well, the other guitarist is Jack Barakat. He will most likely try to do something sexual to you. He's the one with blonde highlights...avoid him at all costs. Our drummer, Rian Dawson, is pretty cool. I don't think he'll try to harass you, but you never know...and Zack Merrick is the bassist, he is the most decent and will respect the fact that you are _my _girlfriend and not his." Alex chuckled to himself.

"I can't wait to meet them. If they're your best friends then they must be some really cool guys," I said. I actually was excited to meet All Time Low. I had listened to a lot of their music in the hospital, and not only were they very good, but from what I had heard about them, they were very nice people.

Alex and I continued talking as we got into the car. I had to drive, because of Alex's arm. He popped a CD into my disc drive and I gave him a blank stare. "Paramore," he said. "They're awesome."

The car ride was silent except for the sounds of Paramore filling the car. Alex was banging his unhindered hand on the dashboard as I was singing out the lyrics. When we pulled into Alex's driveway, he immediately hopped out and got around to my door to open it. I smiled and kissed him quickly as I got out. He smiled back and shut the door as I got out of its swinging range.

A loud noise made me jump. The door to Alex's house burst open and three young men came out, screaming "THEY'RE HERE!". The guy with short hair and the guy with normal length brown hair picked up Alex while the guy with blonde highlights picked me up. I guessed that this was Jack, because he was the only one Alex had identified.

"Oooh, it's the lucky lady! Is this the miss Hannah Wright we've heard so much about?" Jack shouted to the other guys. They laughed and put us down. I defiantly put my arm around Alex. The guys made cooing noises and ushered us inside. We walked downstairs to the basement and I saw a phenomenal set up space with four electric guitars, three acoustic guitars, and two bass guitars. A large drum set sat in the back. Three microphones were set up in the front.

"Oh shit, guys." Alex suddenly looked very dejected.

"What?" The guy with short hair asked.

"Um, I can't really play guitar with this cast...fuck!" Alex muttered and looked down. "Wait," he said, suddenly picking his head up with a grin, "We can teach Hannah and have her play!"

Jack, who was sitting on a stool, laughed. "Sure! You up to it, girl?"

I snorted. "You're looking at the girl who taught herself to play guitar at age 4. I can do it."

Jack looked at me challengingly. "Alright. Let's see what you've got!" He handed me a piece of paper with notes scrawled in Alex's handwriting. Alex chuckled.

"Really, Jack? Hustlers?" He laughed again.

"Fuck yeah! It's one of our best!" He high-fived the guy with brown hair.

"Alright..." Alex took his place in front of the microphone. I picked up a guitar and started the intro guitar line. Soon, the whole band kicked in, and Alex started singing. The song was called "The Girl's A Straight Up Hustler", and it was infectious and dark and pop all at the same time, and I loved it. Soon I was bouncing around the room right with the guys, hearing out the chords, and even helping some with the back up vocals.

"She gets what she wants and she breaks what she gets...get out while you can or she'll tear you to pieces. Are you having a good time sweetheart?" Jack and I doubled up on those lyrics during the bridge. We came slamming down into the chorus and I got to finish the song with the heartbreaker outro... "Carry on home...I'll be waiting miles and miles away, leaving you to be forever seventeen, cleaning up the messes that you've made."

The room was silent as the sounds of the guitars finally faded away. Jack, Rian, and Zack stared at me with open mouths.

Finally, Jack spoke. "Wait, Hannah...tell me again why your band isn't famous?"

I laughed and hugged him. "Thanks, Jack," I smiled.


	5. Take Me Home

Over the next few months, I became very close with Alex and the rest of his band. We would hang out every night and I felt right at home with the guys. Alex's cast came off soon, and they didn't need me to practice with them anymore, but I loved their music and would hang around anyway. It might seem kind of strange the way Alex and I had connected so quickly, but I didn't know how else to explain it. It seemed we were born for this. My dad was happy I wasn't so mopey or sitting around the house as much, that I had found someone special in my life. I was just in a little, happy bubble.

It shattered when Justin called me.

"Hey, babe," he said effortlessly. It seemed like he had forgotten everything, the breakup, the shooting, everything.

"What the hell do you want?" I said, attempting the coldest voice I could.

"I want to take you out for an apology drink tonight. Come on, a few months ago, you would have jumped at this." He joked, even _laughing _at the end of his sentences. "I'll even take you home afterwards."

"What the hell is your problem? _You SHOT my boyfriend._ You broke up with me. You'll never take me home." I hung up in disgust.

In a fury, I ran outside into the rain. I got in my car and sped all the way down to Alex's rented house. I used the spare key and entered his dark hallway. I turned the light on and to my surprise, found a tall guy wearing black skinnies with his back to me, his hands all over another girl. His hood was up, and the girl looked like a total whore.

"ALEX," I shouted. The guy turned around. I breathed a sigh of relief. It was just Jack and another one-day girl.

Jack laughed. "You thought I was Alex? Damn, you crazy girl!"

I laughed as well and playfully punched him on the shoulder. "I'll let you get back to your whore," I whispered. He chuckled.

I shot up the stairs, still searching for Alex. I finally opened his bedroom door to see his back. He was sitting on his bed, playing an acoustic guitar. I smiled and crept onto the bed. I put my hands over his eyes and shouted "Guess who!"

He removed my hands, and grinning, kissed me. We pulled apart after a few seconds.

"Now, I know how much you like a certain female recording artist, so I decided to reproduce a song of hers on guitar. It's about how you feel about me," He said lazily.

I giggled. "Or how you think I feel about you,"

"Damn girl, you confuse me. I'm gonna play it," He began strumming the chords and I laughed.

_Maybe I need some rehab, or maybe just need some sleep_

_I got a sick obsession, I'm seeing it in my dreams_

_I'm looking down every alley, I'm making those desperate calls_

_I'm staying up all night hoping, hitting my head against the wall!_

_What you got, boy, is hard to find_

_I think about it all the time_

_I'm all strung out, my heart is fried_

_I just can't get you off my mind_

_Because your love, your love, your love, is my drug!_

_Your love, your love, your love_

_I said your love, your love, your love, is my drug!_

_Your love, your love, your love_

_Won't listen to any advice, Mama's telling me I should think twice_

_But left to my own devices I'm addicted it's a crisis_

_My friends think I've gone crazy, my judgment's getting kinda hazy_

_My skeaze is gonna be affected if I keep it up like a lovesick crackhead_

_What you got, boy, is hard to find_

_I think about it all the time_

_I'm all strung out, my heart is fried_

_I just can't get you off my mind_

_Because your love, your love, your love, is my drug!_

_Your love, your love, your love_

_I said your love, your love, your love, is my drug!_

_Your love, your love, your love_

_I don't care what people say the rush is worth the price I pay_

_I get so high when you're with me but crash and crave you when you leave_

_Hey, so I got a question..._

_Do you wanna have a slumber party in my basement?_

_Do I make your heart beat like an 808 drum?_

_Is my love, your drug? Your drug? Your drug?_

_Because your love, your love, your love, is my drug!_

_Your love, your love, your love_

_I said your love, your love, your love, is my drug!_

_Your love, your love, your love (x2)_

_Heyy. Heyyyy. Hehhe, sooooo... ahahhahaha_

_Your love, your love, your love, your love_

_(Is my drug)_

_I like your beard._

I collapsed on his bed, laughing and gasping for air. He knew I loved Ke$ha. "There's only one slight problem," I told Alex in a flirty voice.

"Oh? And what's that?" He smiled.

"You don't have a beard!" I shouted gleefully.

He swore and frowned. "I guess I have to grow one, then."

I suddenly remembered my anger. "Hand me that guitar, would you?" He threw me the guitar and I knew exactly what song I wanted to play.

_You, you hit me with a break, and now you're back for more, your song's the same_

_Leave me with all the blame, I don't have time for another game._

_I don't wanna dance, so don't you ask me babe_

_I don't wanna dance, you blew your chance to rock my night away_

_I want some fun, boy you're so not the one_

_I don't wanna dance, so let it go, you'll never take me home_

_Take me hoooooome (x2)  
_

_Talk to me without a sound 'cause you were such a tool, who's sorry now?_

_You, you're shaking on the floor...watch me walking out the door._

_I don't wanna dance, so don't you ask me babe_

_I don't wanna dance, you blew your chance to rock my night away_

_I want some fun, boy you're so not the one_

_I don't wanna dance, so let it go, you'll never take me home_

_Take me hoooooome (x2)_

_Don't tell the DJ to hit rewind_

_Tonight, there's no you and me_

_Don't play that record, don't waste your time_

_You, you threw it all away_

_I don't wanna dance, so don't you ask me babe_

_I don't wanna dance, you blew your chance to rock my night away_

_I want some fun, boy you're so not the one_

_I don't wanna dance, so let it go, you'll never take me home_

_Take me hoooooome (x4)_

I laid down the guitar. Alex looked at me apologetically.

"Justin called today asking to go out tonight." I said angrily. Alex put his arms around me and I held onto his arms. He made me feel so safe.


End file.
